Insulated spark-plug connecter



'May 1'9, 1925. 1,538,230

E. F. WIEDERHOLDT INSULATED srARK PLUG CONNECTER Fled Dec. '5, 1921:

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ATTORNEYS Patented May 19,` 19215.

UNITED STATES mr r, wrnnnsnormr, or s'r. Louis, xrssotrar.

' Application led December 5, 1821. `Serial No. {519,980. i

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERNEST F.` WIEDER- nom, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Insulated Spark-Flu Connecters, .of which thefollowing is a fu l, clear, and exact descripltion, such as will enableothers skilled in t e art to which it appertainsto 'make and use thesame.

This invention relates to spark plug connecters, and has for one of itsobjects'to'provide an inexpensive spark plug connecter that can be usedwith various kinds 'of spark plugs now in commercial use, and which iscompact and ofsuch construction that the metallic parts of the connecterand the ortion of the electrode of the plug with -w ich the connecterco-operates are completely protected by insulating material.

Another object is to provide a spark intensifier of novel design, whichis constructed in such. a manner that there is no liability of thelength.of the 'spark gap being in creased, due to burningof one'orthe other ofthe electrodes arranged at opposite sides -of the spark gap. -Otherobjects and desirable features of myinvention. will be hereinafterpointed out.

`Fi re 1 of the drawings is a side elevationa view, illustrating myimproved con-l necter applied vto a conventional spark plug. Fi re 2 isa longitudinal'sectional view of said connecter. l

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of said connecter, taken on theline 3-1-3 of Fi re 2; and

igure 4 1s a vertical lon 'tudinal section-- y al view of a combinedinsu ated sparkplug connecterand spark intensifier constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Referring to Fi res 1, 2 and 3ofthe drawings, which il ustrate one formof my invention, ,A designates a conventional spark lug provided with anexternally screw- Ereaded electrode 1 .that rojects upwardly above theupper end of t e insulator 2 of the s ark lug. The supply wire B throu h-w ich t e electric current is conducte to the spark plug A isdetachably connected tothe electrodey 1 of thepl'ug by m improvedconnecter which is composed ofy aY member C of insulatlng material, ametal part 3 inside ofthe insulator C to part 3.

the bore 5 of the metallic part 4, and

which the supply wirewis connected and a separate metal part 4 insideofthe insulator connected to the metal part.3 and provided with a bore 5for -receiving the electrode 1 of the spark plug.A TheinsulatoinC vmaybe of any preferred shape, b ut it is preferably of substantiallyspherical form and is provided with two \right-angularlydisposed boresin which themetal parts 3 and 4 are loosely mounted, thereby enablingthe connecter to be manufactured-at a lo'w cost, due to the fact that itis not necessary to mold the insulator lof the connecter around themetallic parts of the connecter' or permanentlyy secure said metallicparts and insulator together. In the vformof my invention shown inFigures 1, 2 and 3 the metallic part 3 consists preferably ofa tubularmember horizontally arranged in the insulator C and provided on itsunderside with an internally screw-threaded hole 6, t-he conductvingportion a: of the supply`wire B projecti ing into said member B, asshown in Figures l 2 and 3. The metallic part 4 ofthe con-4 necter isarranged in the bore or opening on the underside Aof the insulator C andis provided with an externally-screw-threaded portion 7 that projectsupwardly into the internally-screw-threaded hole 6 in the metallic part3 of the connecter, said portion 7 bemg long enough so that it willengage and securely clamp the conducting pore A tion of the supply wireto themetallic part 3 ofthe connecter.4 Accordingly, the portion 7 ofthe metallic part 4 performs the ual function of retaining the twometallic parts 3 and l4 in the insulator C and securely connecting thesupply wire to said metallic The means that I prefer to use for holdingthe connecter as an entirety in operative position on the spark plug Aconsists of two metal balls 8 mountedy in the metallic part-4 in such amanner that they will project ilnto t us engage the electrode V.1 of thesparkl plug,

Iand coiled e ansion s rings 9, shown in I prefer to construct theconnecter in this manner so 'as to enable it to be used with a sparkplug provided with an electrode of small crosssectional diameter, orwith a spark plug provided with an electrode of large cross-sectionaldiameter. In other words, when the metallic part 4 of the connecter isrovided with two oppositely-disposed bal s 8 that roject into the bore 5of said metallic part t at receives the electrode of the plu as hereinshown, the connecter will be he d securely in operative position on thespark plug, nres ective of whether the spark plug is provide with asmall electrode or a large electrode. The-springs 9 that back up theballs'S-are retained in operative Aposition in the metallic part 4 by asplit ring compression spring 10 that'surrounds'th'e metallic part 4 andwhich is seated in an annular groove in said metallic part. The metallicpart 4 is preferablyprovided on its underside with atransverselydisposed groove or slot 11 'in which a'scre`wdriver can beinserted during the o eration of screwing the externally-screw-t readedportion 7 of the metallic part 4 into the in- 'ternally-screw-threadedhole 6 in the metallic part 3 of the connecter. plug connecter of theconstrucsprk tion a ve described can be manufactured and sold at a lowcost it can be easily applied toorremoved from a spark plug wit outhablhty of subjecting the user to an electric shock, due to the factthat the metallic Aparts of the connecterthrough which the electriccurrent asses are completely protected by insulating material; it can beused with ractically any make of spark plug provl ed with an electrodethat projects upwardly above the insulator of the plu 1t is soconstructed that there is little lability of its becoming accidentallydetached from the spark plug, due, of course, to the factthat itcomprises a plurality of springressed elements that are held pressedtight-4 y against the electrode of the spark plug.

As previously stated, one object of my in# ventlon isto provide a sparkintensifier in which the electrodes are of 'such construction andarrangement that they will not be burned by the intense spark created atthe gap, and thus cause the en h ofthe spark ap to be mcreased, as so on occurs with t e s ark intensiliers now in use. To this end havedevised a spark intensifier which may be described brie y as consistingoftwo electrodes having relatively large areas ar-.

ranged in an electric circuit in spaced relation and in parallel planes,so as to form a gap across 4which the ing through said circuit jumps.The form and size of said electrodes is immaterial, so longas saidelectrodes have suicient area to prevent them from being burned away bythe intense sparks that jump across the gap bef or electrode 3i andelectric current ow-,

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tween said electrodes, and it is also immaterial what means is used forholding said electrodes in spaced relation, so as to produce a spark gabetween them. I prefer, how ever, to ma e said electrodes of annularform and arrange them in parallel planes with a gap or space between theadjacent faces or inner sides of said electrodes. In Figure 4 of theaccompanying drawings I have illustrated a spark lntenser of thecharacter abm'e referred to combined with a spark plufr connecter of thekind previously described, said connecter being of similar con--struction to the one shown in Figures 1 2 and 3, except that themetallic part to whleh theI supply wire B with a gap 12 across which theelectric current jumps before reaching the metallic part thatreceivesthe electrode 1 Aof the spark plug. It is immaterial how the ga12 is formed, but I prefer to use a metallic part to which theconducting portion w of the supplyv wire is connected by a set screw orother device 13 and hold said l electrode l3D in spaced relation withthe outer end of a meta lic part or electrode 3* by means of a piece ofinsulating material 14 that is secured to the metallic part 3* and thepart 3" by means of rivets 15, or the like, theV space between the outerend of the electrode 3* and the inner end of the electrode 3hconstituting the gap of the intensifier. Preferably, the spaced endortions of the electrodes 3* and 3 across w ich the spark jumps, are ofannular form, as I have found that a spark gap formed by tworspacedannular. rings or portions is superior to a spark ap formed b twopoints, prongs onsimilar evices s ace away fromeach other in that theywil not burn away, and thus increase the lengthv ofthe spark projectslaterally from one side of the insulatorC and is surrounded b a sleeveof insulating materia-l 16 providedv with an inwardl -projectin dan e 16that is overlapp by a hea or en arged portion on the part 3", as shownin `Fi re 4, thus causing the insulating sleevetoe retained in positionby the part of the connecter to which the'supply wire is fastened. Aconnecter of the construction shown in Figure 4 has all of the desirablecharacteristics of the connectershown in Figures 1v 2 and 3, and it has.the added advantage of being construct-i ed 1n such a. way that it willintensify the spark which the spark plug produces when in service. To 1nFigure 2 into a combined s ark plug connecter and spark intensifier, aBthat is necessary;1 is toy substitute for the metallic part 3 t etwo-piece member com osed ofthe parts ,3 and 3, as shown in Figure 4,the

is connectedis provided i gap. The part 3" i convert the connecter shownmetallic part 4*.of the-connecter which receives the electrode of thespark ,olming combined equipped with a springassenso connecter and sparkintensifier that it performed in the insulated'spark plug connectershown in Figure 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Lett'ers Patent of the -United States is:

1. A spark plug connecter consisting of an insulator, a metallic meansin said insulator provided with a spark gap and adapted to have a supplywire connected to saine, and a metallic member in said insulatorconnected to said means and provided with a spring-pressed element forfrictionally con-v necting said memberto the electrode of a spark plug.

2. A spark plug connecter, comprising a metallic art ,provided with abore for receiving tlie electrode of a spark plug and ressed element forfrictionally engaging sai electrode, an independent metallic meansconnected to the metallic part first referred to and adapted to have asupply wire secured to same, said metallic means being provided with aspark gap, and insulatin material that completely protects said meta icpart and said metallic means.

vspring-pressed element for frictionall 3. A spark plug connecterconsisting of an insulator rovided with two bores arranged at anV ang e.to each other, a spark gap device in one of saidbores composed of .twometal parts spaced away from each other and connected together byinsulating material, one of said parts being provided with means forenabling a supply wire to be connected to same, and a metallic memberinthe other bore of said linsulator equipped with a connecting saine toa spark plug elect e and is 'screwed into an 'opening in one part ofsaid spark gap device.

A spark plug connecter consisting of a spherical-shaped insulatorprovided with i two bores arranged at substantially right angles to eachother, ametallic member in the horizontal bore of said insulatorprovided at its outer eind with a piece of insulating material, ametallic device connected to said piece of insulating material andprovided with a head portion to which a supply wire is adapted to beconnected, an 'insulating sleeve surrounding said head portion' andprovided with a flange that is positioned etween said head of theconnecter, and a second metallic member in the vertical bore of theinsulator detachably connected to the metallic member in said horizontalbore and provided with a plurality of spring-pressed balls that areadapted to frictionally engage the electrode of-thespark plug with whichthe connecter is used. A: i, i

5. A spark plug connecter, consisting of an insulator, two electrodescarried by said insulatork and arranged in longitudinal alignment witheach other and with annular portions on the inner ends of saidelectrodes spaced apart so as to form a spark gap, means for maintainingthe annular portions of said electrodes in fixed relatiommeans forvenabling a supply wire to be connected to one of said electro saidinsulator connected to the other electrode for securing the insulator tothe electrode of a spark plug;

ERNEST F. WIEDERHOLDTQ- portion and the insulator` es, and a metallicmember in

